


The Masquerade

by FanFicReader01



Category: Poets of the Fall
Genre: I had way too much fun writing this, M/M, Masked ball, Masks, based upon the daze video, dark!marko, more self indulgent fanfic coming right up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 10:29:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9487262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: He inhaled deeply before stepping through the gates, walking towards the immense mansion. He wondered what kind of person would live in such place.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another fanfic for my self indulgent needs. Yet I share it because I know there might be some people out there, enjoying this ship as well >:)

‘This is going to be a looong night’ Olli thought as he stood in front of the huge, iron gates of the mansion.

He looked at his invitation card which had the address stamped on it with curly letters.

Then he checked the address on the plate of the gates just to be sure. He inhaled deeply before stepping through the gates, walking towards the immense mansion. He wondered what kind of person would live in such place.

When he arrived at the main doors, there were some people standing outside, smoking and chattering.

They were all dressed in exquisite costumes and gorgeous masks.

Olli started to feel a bit unsure about his own clothing, but his friend who invited him in the first place, had picked the costumes for them. Said friend had assured him that the costumes were made by a fine and renown tailor.

 ‘Invitation letter please’ a sturdy looking man appeared in front of Olli and he held out a demanding hand.

‘Ah, yes. Of course!’ Olli fumbled a bit with his jacket before finding the letter and giving it to the guard.

 

When Olli finally got inside, he found himself lost in the large building. There was music coming from everywhere. Lots of people were dancing and babbling. It made Olli a bit dizzy.

He got startled when a sturdy hand grabbed him by the shoulder.

He turned around and looked at his friend who was wearing a colombina mask as well.

 ‘Jaska!’ Olli said surprised. The other man grinned. ‘Finally you’re here! Thought you’d never show up’

‘Got a bit lost on the road, I guess’ Olli joked. Jaska wrapped his arm around Olli and showed him around.

 ‘Tell me, how exactly did you get us here? The people here don’t seem like ordinary people’ Olli wondered.

 ‘Our manager,’ Jaska started to explain, ‘is a childhood friend of the owner of the mansion. He got invited and asked the host if we could come as well. Because we are guitarists.’

Olli stopped in his walk and looked his friend in the eyes, a bit concerned. ‘What do you mean with that? Do we have to play here now?’

Jaska laughed and shook his head. ‘No, but the host wanted to meet us. Probably to discuss future events. He might give us a chance to perform here one day! Haven’t seen him around, though. You’d expect that the host should attend the party as well.’

Olli sighed in relief. ‘Well, gotta look around for him then?’ he suggested. Jaska agreed and the two split up to look for the host.

 

After some searching, Olli gave up and decided to just enjoy the evening.

He had tried to find Markus and Jaska, but they seemed to have blended in with the large mass.

The blonde guitarist had poured himself some wine and walked to the ballroom. Carefully he avoided the moving people and decided to watch the crowd a bit from a distance. He stood still by one of the large windows and sipped from his glass.

  Everyone was so nicely clothed.

Olli himself wore a black colombina mask with silvery ornament on the left top of the mask. The mask hid a part of his left cheek too.

He had a matching coat with coal colored fur. His woolen scarf was grey and the vest he wore underneath had nice belts as decoration.

What stood out the most, Olli thought, was the feather decoration around his collar. If he was correct, his manager had the same but different colored feathers around his collar this evening.

 

After observing the other guests, he noticed a figure approaching.

The mysterious stranger sported a gold with dark red mask of a jester. It looked intimidating just like the way the stranger moved and closed the distance between him and Olli. This looks interesting, the guitarist thought as he straightened his back.

 ‘Good evening, fellow merry-maker’ the jester greeted. ‘Good evening to you too, sir’ Olli replied with a smirk playing on his lips already.

 ‘I see you got yourself a fancy looking costume. With those feathers and all’ the jester masked man stated. ‘And yet you look out of place here. Like a… how shall I say this? Like an innocent angel who accidentally fell down on earth.’

Behind his mask, Olli raised his eyebrow and replied ‘What makes you think I’m innocent?’

Clearly the other man didn’t expect that bold answer as he subtly stepped back. But he quickly regained his confident pose. ‘I like your attitude. And that cheeky grin. I’m sure someone like you shouldn’t cover his face like that’ the man said.

Olli laughed and pulled a jokingly duckface. ‘Are you sure? Cause if I remove this mask, you’ll be surprised’

 ‘You mean in a positive way, I hope? Surprise me then’ the jester insisted.

But Olli liked to play “hard to get”. ‘Now, now, don’t rush it, mister Harlequin. Besides, this is a masquerade. Isn’t the whole purpose of it to stay anonymous the whole event? I believe it was written on the invitation card.’

 ‘Maybe, maybe not. But you’re right. This is indeed more interesting when we both remain anonymous’ the jester admitted.

 Olli tried to study the taller man’s eyes behind the mask. From what he could see through those slits, the man had blueish eyes, much like Olli’s own.

 ‘Studying the eyes?’ the jester noticed. ‘Just inspecting the mask. Very impressive. Yet I wish to know the face behind it as well’ Olli said.

The harlequin  chuckled: ‘You were the one who said we should keep our masks on. Unless you’ve changed your mind!’

The man stepped closer and seemed to study Olli’s outfit as he toyed with Olli’s sleeve.

‘Tell me something about yourself’ he murmured.

 ‘What can I say? You were correct that I’m out of place here. I usually don’t go to fancy parties like these. But a friend dragged me with him. Got me the costume too.’

 ‘Oh’ came the jester’s reply. He was totally checking him out and the guitarist likewise got interested in the mysterious stranger.

 ‘Those feathers, they look the same as the collar decoration of a friend of mine’ the jester remarked.

Markus, Olli thought. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t want the anonymity to end already. But he did suspect the jester to be the host of the masquerade.

 ‘Really? And here I thought I was original’ Olli snorted as if annoyed. The jester laughed.

‘Anything else I need to know about you? I feel like you haven’t told me everything yet’, the voice was pleasing and demanding at the same time.

Olli sighed: ‘You’re a very curious cat, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yes, I am. Although I’m more a dog person’ the jester replied as he chuckled again.

The guitarist scratched his head and stared at his glass which was now empty.

 ‘Want some more?’

‘Why not?’ The two men walked past the dancing guests to a large table in another room. The jester poured in a new glass for Olli and one for himself. They raised their glasses and simultaneous said: ‘Here’s to you!’

 

Some sips later Olli decided to reveal more information.

 ‘I’m a musician’ he stated and the jester nodded. They placed their empty glasses on the table and walked back to the ballroom.

‘I knew there was something special about you’. Olli managed a laugh. ‘What’s so special about being a musician?’

 ‘Music can bring you to higher and different places, so to speak. May I ask you what instrument do you play?’

‘Now that I revealed that much already, I guess I could say I play the guitar sometimes’ Olli answered.

Sometimes was a lie though, an understatement. He played the guitar as much as he could. It was a form of breathing for him.

Suddenly the jester took Olli’s hands and examined them for a while.  Olli felt stunned. The jester’s hands were surprisingly warm and now Olli saw the nail polish had the same color as the mask.

The stranger mumbled something before he let go.

 

‘Now that we’re in the ballroom again, wouldn’t it be obvious for us to join the dancing crowd?’ the harlequin suggested.

Olli shrugged his shoulders. ‘You better catch up with my moves then!’ he said, which was followed by an audacious grin and a wink.

The other man responded almost immediately: ‘Very confident _and_ you’re taking the lead I see. You could say you’re the lead guitarist, huh’

If Olli still had his wine, he swore he would’ve choked on it because of that unexpected and silly comment.

He probably looked as if he had choked on something, because he could hear the jester’s mirth.

Without thinking too much, he took one hand of the other man in his own and the other hand got placed on Olli’s hip.

 ‘So it’s going to be a partner dance?’ the harlequin sounded amused. ‘Shut up, I’m trying to recall the steps’ Olli grumbled.

 It didn’t took him long to remember his old dance lessons. Before really realizing it, the two men were swinging over the dancefloor together.

There was a hint of passion between them. There was something intoxicating about the taller man. Maybe it was the fact that they were anonymous which made everything more mysterious and exciting. It made Olli feel lightheaded.

 

 ‘Shall I share a little secret?’ the jester interrupted Olli’s  lightheadedness. From his tone Olli knew the jester was smirking behind that mask.

 ‘I’ve heard rumors about a music room on the second floor of the mansion. We could go there and you could show me a little demonstration of your guitar skills’ the jester revealed.

Olli frowned with suspicion. ‘How do you know that? Even _if_ it’s true, we’re probably not allowed to go there.’

 ‘Rumors, like I said’ The jester sighed annoyed. He stopped with the dance, gripped Olli’s hand and dragged him over the dancefloor all the way to the hall.

 ‘What are you doing?!’ Olli breathed slightly panicked. ‘Going to do some fact checking’ the harlequin answered as  he strode towards the stairs with great pace.

 

The jester knew his way to the rumored music room a bit too well for Olli’s likings.

He was constantly looking behind his back, checking if someone had spotted them. He wondered where Jaska was. He must be looking for him or the host too.

 

‘You seem to know your way around here pretty well’ Olli declared.

‘What if I told you I’m actually a very good friend of our host?’ the jester replied. ‘Now tell me, what do you think of this room?’

 ‘Quite impressive. Like every other room I’ve seen here so far’ Olli scanned the room. The owner had a nice set of electric and acoustic guitars, there was a shining piano in the middle of the chamber too.

When he inspected the guitars he hesitated. Should he really just pick up someone else’s guitar without their consent? What if the jester didn’t lie and if he was indeed a friend of the host? Even if, it wouldn’t be polite to nose about in someone else’s stuff.

 ‘C’mon, you can pick one’ the jester insisted. Olli chose the guitar on the far left.

He settled down on one of the crutches and started to tune the guitar. While he was tuning the instrument, the jester installed himself in one of the chairs. He was gawking at the guitarist and Olli was starting to feel nervous. Hopefully he wouldn’t mess it up now.

 But when he hit the first notes, he got comfortable quickly and he played a piece he and Jaska were working on for a month now.

 

After the piece ended, Olli placed the guitar carefully back and stared at the jester who was still sitting in the chair.

 ‘Left you speechless, eh?’ Olli grinned.

The other man gestured with his hands and finally stood up. ‘Indeed. There are not many times when I have a loss of words’ he admitted.

The harlequin walked over to Olli and all of a sudden the guitarist found himself pinned against the wall by the other man’s hands.

He gasped in surprise and then giggled nervously. ‘That mouth of yours appeals to me on an interesting level’ the dark haired man whispered in Olli’s ear. The blond could almost feel the cold mask touch his cheek.

He felt his heart beat faster and faster. He gazed into the jester’s eyes behind the mask and he fell in a daze by them. Their closeness, the enthralling scent of the other man, those cold eyes. It was electrifying.

 

 ‘Would you kiss me?’ the jester asked in a low voice that sent shivers down Olli’s spine.

‘Perhaps’ came Olli’s teasing reply. His eyes trailed off to the alluring clothes the jester sported. Those leather pants seemed to fit quite tight and why was he thinking about that?

When his eyes met the jester’s eyes, they were observing, almost judging. Olli inhaled, closed his eyes and pressed a quick kiss on the mask of the other man.

 ‘If you want, we can take things a little bit further’ the jester said in that soothing voice of his.

‘Are you kidding?! What if we get caught?’ Olli pushed the other man away and focused on the open door. The jester narrowed his eyes so they were slits like the eyes of the mask.

 ‘So you want _that_ kind of thing? You’re more perverted than I thought!’

Olli’s face colored crimson red and he exclaimed: ‘What? No! I- I didn’t mean in it in such way! If there is someone with such thoughts, it’s you! _You_ were the one saying that we should take things further!’

The jester chortled: ‘But you’d like to, right? Otherwise you wouldn’t be afraid to get caught.’ It left Olli baffled.

 ‘No. It’s just… I, we shouldn’t be here in the first place! What about your friend, the host?’

‘I don’t think the host would mind it if we stayed here some longer’ the jester stated and with that sentence he closed their distance again. He tilted the guitarist’s chin with his hand and made him look straight into his eyes.

 Olli gasped.

‘Now why don’t you close your eyes for a minute? Open them when I say so’, the jester demanded.

 ‘Are you going to drug me?’ Olli snorted, but his tone was sarcastic.

‘No. But I’ll assure you it’s better than drugs’ the jester assured. Olli decided to go along with it and closed his eyes firmly. He could feel a blush sneak up on his cheeks.

The jester created some distance and Olli heard the rustle of a mask getting removed. Olli smiled a nervous smile.

Finally he could sense the imposing presence of the jester again. He stood so close now.

Before the guitarist could think about the jester’s next step, he felt soft lips against his own.

 

Which started as a careful and somehow reserved kiss, ended in a hungry, yet passionate kiss.

Olli found it difficult to keep his eyes shut. He glanced at the ceiling for only a second, only to close his eyes again. He could feel the jester nibbling at his neck. That darn harlequin would leave hickeys, he thought in a small moment of clarity in his clouded mind.

He felt breathless when their mouths finally parted. ‘Can I finally open my eyes?’ Olli wondered out loud.

 ‘Just a little bit longer, my dear’ the jester said with his husky voice.

Several minutes later, Olli got impatient and dared to open his eyes, only to find himself alone in the music room.

He raised his hand and carefully brushed it over his lips. Truth had to be said, that was his first kiss.

When his heart calmed down a bit and the red in his face disappeared, Olli decided to go back to the other guests.

In the corridor there was no trace of the jester left.

 

On his way to the ballroom, he got stopped by Jaska and Markus.

‘Hey, Olli! Where were you? I’ve been looking for you!’ Jaska exclaimed and with a friendly pat on the shoulder he greeted his friend. Markus raised his glass of champagne.

 ‘Want a drink?’ the manager offered a glass but Olli refused.

‘I was, uh, looking for the owner. Haven’t seen him around yet’ Olli explained his absence. ‘I’ve been looking for you too, Jaska. Couldn’t find you nor Markus in the crowd.’

Jaska smiled: ‘It’s alright. Have you been enjoying yourself a bit?’ he asked. Olli nodded with a blush. If only his friend knew what had happened. Hopefully he didn’t notice the probably visible hickeys.

The two guitarists and their manager wandered a bit through the mansion when Markus suddenly stopped and waved his hand to someone else.

 ‘Marko! There you are!’ Markus shouted gleefully. Jaska and Olli stopped abruptly.

Olli felt like he was nailed to the ground when he saw the man Markus had called. It was the…

 ‘Hehe, removed your mask already? It’s not even past midnight yet!’ Markus grinned at the other man.

Marko, apparently the host and owner of this mansion, wore a crimson jacket made out of leather with belts on both the chest and sleeves. He wore white makeup that made his facial features stand out. The deep red lipstick and star on his left eye made for a stark contrast with the white.

  Even behind the mask he looked like a jester, Olli thought as he stared in awe at the host.

Marko threw Olli a wicked smirk before he put on a sheepish smile.

 ‘Jaska, Olli, this is Marko. The owner of the manor. He invited us’ Markus introduced the guitarists.

Olli’s friend made a small bow and shook Marko’s hand. Next was Olli.

Marko’s grip was firm. Firm like the way he had Olli pinned against the wall a few moments ago.

 ‘Have we met somewhere?’ Marko asked with a grin too wide for his face. Olli shivered.

Then Marko burst out in laughter and said: ‘Just kidding! Never seen your pretty face before. Or have we?’

 ‘I don’t believe we’ve met’ Olli played along.

Jaska and Markus were oblivious to the meeting of course. Olli felt a bit awkward.

 ‘Shall I show you around the manor a bit?’ Marko proposed to the men. Jaska shrugged his shoulders.

‘Lead the way, sir.’

 

The three men followed Marko upstairs and Marko almost immediately showed them the music room.

 ‘This here is where all the magic really happens’ Marko commented.

He gave a meaningful look to Olli that made the guitarist blush instantly.

 ‘I’ve heard from my friend Markus here that you two play the guitar quite well’ Marko stated.

‘Exquisite collection you got here’ Jaska mumbled as he inspected the guitars. Olli stayed quiet.

 ‘Thanks. I’m really a fan of acoustic guitars. Their sound is so heavenly, it leaves me _speechless_.’ Again there was that quick look from Marko to Olli. The quick exchange of looks was subtle enough that Markus nor Jaska noticed.

 ‘Well, that’s enough for this room! But I’d really like to hear you guys perform here one day’ Marko rambled on as they walked from room to room.

 

The little “tour” around the mansion ended in the ballroom.

‘Ah, it’s time to reveal ourselves!’ Marko said cheerfully. He stepped onto a small podium in the middle of the room and took a microphone.

 ‘Ladies and gentlemen! It’s finally time to reveal the faces behind those colorful masks! I am mister Saaresto, your host, please enjoy the rest of this evening.’ People cheered and clapped and Marko jumped off the podium and walked towards the three men.

 Olli felt his heart beat faster again. ‘Time for the big reveal’ Marko smiled.

Jaska and Markus had removed their masks but Olli was doubtful. Although only a part of his face was hidden, he still felt unsure.

 ‘I gotta go to the restroom’ he said quickly and he clumsily walked away. In the restroom, Olli looked at his own face in the mirror.

There was indeed a hickey that luckily was covered by his scarf. Suddenly the door opened and it was none other than Marko who stepped inside. He leaned against the door, keeping it shut for unwanted visitors.

 ‘Hello, Olli’, he said with that smirk on his face.

‘Marko’ Olli replied with a nod. He turned around to face the jester. ‘You cheeky bastard’ Olli snorted and Marko only grinned wider.

 ‘Please, show me that handsome face you’re hiding. I’ve showed mine already. Or do you want me to unravel that mask of yours?’ with each word, Marko stepped closer to the guitarist.

 ‘May I?’ Marko’s posture changed from a demanding one, into a more gentle one.

Olli sighed, closed his eyes and nodded slightly. ‘You may.’ And with that, Marko finally removed the dark mask.

 Olli opened his eyes and looked into Marko’s intriguing ones. ‘Once again you leave me speechless, my beautiful angel’ Marko sighs.

 ‘Are we done now?’ Olli asked, aware of the situation. ‘Of course, let’s rejoin the rest, shall we?’

‘Just promise me to not talk about this or what happened upstairs to my friends, okay?’ Olli said before they left the restroom. Marko grinned and nodded.

 ‘I’ll keep my mouth shut, angel. But you gotta promise to visit me again after this night’

‘Okay’ Olli promised with his fingers crossed. He walked outside first and Marko followed.

As the door shut behind them again, Olli felt his butt slapped and irritated he looked at a now laughing Marko.

 ‘Sorry, couldn’t resist.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, the masks are attached to the head with a strap, unlike the masks in the video which were handheld with a stick :P  
> It had to be like this, otherwise the guitar scene wouldn't be able to occur without Olli removing his mask :P


End file.
